Mentor Monday: Part 1

I've been thinking a lot about time lately. How I spend it, who I spend it with, where it all goes.  Time can either be exhausting or energizing depending on how it is spent.  I needed to start to spend my time in a more valuable, energizing way.  An opportunity came up at work to join a mentoring program that would work with a local high school and I jumped at the opportunity.  There are times I miss teaching.  What I miss most about teaching are the non instructional times when the kids act like kids, tell stories, share their lives.  They happen during study halls, in lunch duty, walking through the hallways and in the "down times."  These opportunities to get to know the students were so valuable in learning the best ways to reach them as a teacher.  This program allows me to spend time with a high school student, on location at the high school, focusing on their individual talents.  After some interviews and a background check, I was matched up with a student.

Mondays are now:

My first Mentor Monday was a short one.  I met A, my student and her mother.  We went through the basic introductions and spoke about why were joined the program.  Her mother is a hard working mom with 5 kids.  She is the oldest and could use some individual attention, as she spends a lot of time taking care of the younger kids.  She's smart, motivated, artistic, funny.  We listened to Beyonce, she was surprised when I knew the words. Next week she wants to draw.  I'm a little nervous about that since I saw her drawings and mine stack up.  But I didn't join this program to teach her things, I joined to learn.
                               To spend time in a valuable way.  To be energized.

I can't wait til next Monday.